Posted by ayersian
, January 06, 2009 20:54
We certainly do not claim to be L.A. taco experts—and how could anyone be, with hundreds, maybe thousands, of taco restaurants, shacks, and trucks spread over the zillion square miles that is greater Los Angeles? We do know what we like, however, and Los Cinco Puntos at 3300 East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue makes the freshest, tastiest taco we’ve ever eaten. Tipped off by glowing reviews on other food sites, we were particularly intrigued to pick up a dozen of their homemade tamales but couldn’t resist a snack for the drive home. This carnitas taco (pictured above) was assembled right before our eyes: tender, chopped pork, fresh guacamole, hot salsa, all wrapped in a thick corn tortilla. This tortilla was plucked from a huge griddle just minutes before a staffer had patted the dough flat by hand as we watched agog.
This hot case (above) contained every Mexican cut of meat possible, from steak and tripe to tongue and even a sheep’s head. The pre-Christmas queue inside for tamales snaked through half the store, and our favorite tamale was the green chile and cheese variety. Los Cinco Puntos is an amazing stop on the L.A. Roadfood trail and an experience that you won’t soon forget.
